My question had dimmed the feeling of victory that was coursing through everyone and now started a frantic search for the man who was my mate as well as our enemy. All the cheers and howls had died down and a feeling of dread loomed over all of us. How could I forget about his presence, his existence? Now just because I couldn't keep track of him when I went insane, everyone was worried again, wondering what he was up to.

Even though he was probably the only one left now, no one knew what kind of danger he could bring on us. Even though I couldn't exactly hear anybody's thoughts, I knew they were all worried about me.

Not only I was his mate - the one he would be after with a vengeance, but I was the weakest at the time too. There was no way I could defend myself when my limbs felts like noodles and I wasn't in control of my body.

Adrian was standing in front of me, all mighty and masculine, half-clothed. "You are going back to the Werewolf Kingdom with Liana." He commanded me.

"Yes." I answered him without missing a beat.

He looked slightly surprised that I was complying. I raised a brow at him, "Do you really think I want to sit here and search for that man?" I paused for a moment but answered the question myself, "No." I said firmly and shook my head, "I want to be where my parents are at the moment. I'm not going to be stupid and insist to stay here. And..." I took in a deep breath, "I don't want to see him anymore. I am already very weak and feel useless, so I would be of no help if I remained here."

Adrian's eyes softened and he pulled me into an embrace, again, making me crave his kisses again. I melted into him, taking all the comfort that I could get from him. My mind was in shambles, but at least I felt better.

I didn't know if I could go back to Adrian after everything that happened to me. Even if Delia hadn't been in the picture, I wouldn't have crawled back to him. I had too much self-respect for that and my heart wasn't ready for it to be tortured more than it already was. I had no plans for the future at the moment; I wanted to go to my parents and make up for all the time that was lost.

My world had been turned upside down once again and I hadn't wrapped my head around it. I was thankful that I had been gifted with such strong instincts and two guiding inner voices to get me out of all of this as unscathed. My normal human brain had turned numb from all of this and I wondered for a moment if I needed therapy.

I had constantly been out of my wits about something or the other. My mind had been at rest only for a short period of time when I was in the Vampire Kingdom, and even those times my mind had been disturbed by the dreams I was having.

I should've had followed her voice, my mother's voice, sooner - before I fell for Aiden and started imagining my future with him. It could have saved me a lot of time and heartache.

I didn't know if I really wanted to see him anymore. I didn't want to remain in denial and think that I didn't love him through the bond of mates we still shared. He had betrayed me, and at the same time, he had been the reason behind my sanity during all those months when I was with the Vampires.

It wouldn't be easy for me to look at him again and confront him, not when he had clearly declared his love for my blood during the war. I didn't know if my heart had ever been broken that bad, and I was now feeling overwhelmed as the emotions overcame me.

It felt so wrong, feeling this way for him and still loving him despite what he had done to me, my parents. I did have Adrian, didn't I? Why was I given another man to love - especially for him to turn out to be my biggest enemy.

Oh yes, because I had to be the one to save the PureBlood King, Queen and the real Vampires. I wondered why no one else could have been chosen to do this task - after all the Kings and Queens of other Kingdoms were just as powerful.

Well, everything happens for a reason and now I knew why I had been paired up with him and Adrian both.

Now I could just hope that Adrian didn't have any other skeletons in his closet.

I did the only thing no one else could do - I uncovered the vampires' tainted secret and saved my parents from their hold. I restored peace in between the two kingdoms; even though there were still a lot of damages to be repaired.

I should have felt proud of myself - I was a gifted woman, sent with a purpose and not many could say this for themselves. I had done a great deed and deserved to applaud myself for coming out of all of this with my sanity intact - braving all the obstacles that came in between.

But I didn't come out of this entire ordeal with my heart intact and I needed a break.

To heal.

I pulled away from Adrian, hoping he had no access to the thoughts I just had. He loosened his hold so I could step away, but his arms took their time to remove themselves, knowing that I needed his support to stay upright. I closed my eyes for that moment and revelled in his touch; I knew it was going to take a lot of time for me to let him do that again.

"Liana will accompany you along with the ten pack guards." He was looking straight into my eyes, "He is still out and I don't want anyone hurting you. I would have escorted you to the kingdom myself, but I have issues here to settle and discuss." Adrian said to me, hesitating once he got the words out of his mouth.

For some reason, I felt disappointed. The primal part of me wanted my mate with me, for him to comfort me and stay with me while I dealt with the aftermath of what had happened. Even though I didn't want to, he was the one I needed the most.

His gaze softened as he saw right through me and then his gaze darkened.

He inhaled deeply, and it didn't take him long to come to a decision.

"You know what? Fuck it," He pulled me into his arms again and I didn't resist, "I'm going to personally make sure you reach safely in the Were Kingdom to your parents and then I'll be back for the discussions. Your safety is of utmost importance to me." He pecked my lips before I could blink and formulate what happened.

I must have lit up at his words because that was what his reaction told me. A moment passed between us, where we both knew what the other wanted. I was happy that he was going to be there with me when I reached the kingdom, and he knew that he had pleased me with his decision.

I was staring at him all the same, letting all those unwanted emotions course through - all the things he made me feel, every time, because he was my mate and he had marked me.

And now he was the one who had saved me, who had never given up on me.

My heart was thumping in my chest and I had lost all coherency. I could see my emotions mirroring in his gaze - I could see that there was a lot that he wanted to say to me but was stopping himself.

I wanted to pull myself away from him, I didn't want his touch to bring all these emotions in me but I was still extremely weak and needed some support to stand. I could barely make any movements and wished someone could lend their strength to me so that I could at least make some movements on my own.

I hated feeling so weak.

He looked away from me and then wrapped his arm around my shoulders. He knew how I was feeling and respected me enough to give me the space.

Nobody said anything at all - all the guards and Liana were looking at us, patiently waiting for the command to start heading back - and that was how he led me towards the troop that was waiting to escort me back to the Kingdom. Liana was among them - standing gloriously tall and beautiful in her Wolf form - her head tilting to one side.

I gave her a small smile - there was a lot I wanted to tell her and to know from her. She blinked at me as if she understood what I was thinking.

"We have a lot of time to talk, Moon." Her voice echoed in my head, "We have to focus on getting you back now."

I nodded back at her and with Adrian's help, I was now leaning against her. Right in front of us then, Adrian shifted into his wolf and I watched in awe - the specimen in front of me was extremely beautiful.

He was huge, larger than my wolf was surely, and with pitch black fur. His silver eyes were looking straight at me - possessive and protective. My heart stopped in my chest at how goddamn breathtaking he was and I gaped at him.

The last time I remembered he shifted in front of me was when we were going to find Liana, who was held captive by Lazarus. At that time, I hadn't been able to appreciate his beauty as much as I wanted to. Even now, during the war, I was too scared to be coherent while looking at him fighting Lazarus off. But now I had the time to ogle his powerful form and I wasn't missing the chance.

I suddenly realised that I still didn't know how I looked when I shifted. It was going to be a rare occasion, since I was going to shift only when extremely required and I didn't want such a situation to come up again soon.

In fact, I never wanted to feel the need to shift again.

I was still staring when I realised that I was suddenly straddling his back, and Liana had put me up there. I wished that I could say that I could walk on my own, but I felt so drained that my limbs felt like noodles.

I was ridiculously numb - the warmth that Adrian's body radiated could be barely felt and I hated this feeling. I leaned against him, enjoying the feeling of almost sinking into his fur. I could feel some of his energy seep into me, but it wasn't enough. I still needed more to be able to make minor movements.

Well, I could wait till we reached the Were Kingdom. Then I could rest all I want and gain back some energy.

"Moon," Adrian's voice echoed in my head and I hummed against him. I was going to doze off, being surrounded by his amazing scent and soft fur. If only I could enjoy this to the fullest extent.

"I am so proud of you." He said and my chest tingled with the delight I was feeling. Celeste was dancing inside me - the pride in his voice was unmistakable. "What you did back there - it was brave, it was brutal and you were strong and fearless. When you called for me, I was afraid something would happen to you if I didn't reach in time."

"You did." I murmured, "Reach in time, I mean. Lazarus would have killed me."

"I would never let anyone hurt you anymore, Moon, I would do everything in my power to keep you safe and unharmed, whether you're near me or far."

My heart warmed at his words and I smiled slightly.

"You have to be careful for a few days now, Moon." He said, "PureBlood Healing is energy draining - you healed hundreds of people in there. You're lucky you are a hybrid and a Luna Queen - and of course, Moon Goddess' favorite girl - or you would have died with the stunt you pulled. This weakness will take time to go. Your body needs to rest, as well as your PureBlood."

I nodded.

I looked around myself and saw that again, I was surrounded by a protective circle but this time, it was of werewolves and not vampires - Liana's smaller wolf was slightly behind us and the rest of the guards were surrounding us on all sides. I spent the time anticipating my reunion with my parents and trying not to think about what had just happened back in the Vampire Kingdom.

I had never thought such a day would come when I would meet them - ever since childhood, I only had grandma around. It felt like I never knew them and that was why it was difficult for me to picture what it would have felt like to have them with me.

I never really did miss them - well only during those school activities that particularly needed mothers and fathers of the students. There were times I was envious of those who had huge families with lots of love among them.

But my grandma made sure I was loved endlessly. She had been just as alone as me then, and it had been wonderful, being just the two of us. I always believed that we shared a special bond between the two of us, and she would always remain special to me. Her death was hard for me, but I knew she had been suffering for long. Letting go was so difficult, it still made me cry sometimes when I remembered what I shared with her.

If there was any way to bring her back to life, I would do that.

I bet she would have loved to know that my parents were alive.

I sighed, a familiar sadness gripping me like it always did when I thought of her.

Now that I knew my parents were alive, everything felt different. The first time I had felt deeply for my parents was when I read my mother's journal and the story behind my birth and the war. For the first time, I felt connected to my mother in some way and missed her so much, hating the circumstances that led to my parents' death.

The first time I felt connected to my father was when I saw him in that cell, barely alive and unconscious. It broke my heart that the first time I met my father, he wasn't even in the condition to smile at me.

Now I was at peace, knowing that I had saved them and they were safe with the Werewolves. My mom would be reunited with her parents, and I'm sure it was now a time for celebration because all was going to be fine.

I said it too soon.

Something happened all of a sudden, and in the blink of an eye, all the wolves surrounding me fell down mid-run. Liana was whining behind me, and Adrian started running haphazardly, making me clutch onto him tight.

"Hold on tight, Moon, I can smell silver. Someone is attacking us with poisoned darts."

Oh I knew who that someone was - even Adrian knew the person behind this.

Dread curled in my stomach at the thought of Adrian being poisoned, and more than that, I feared that I might never reach my parents.

Let me go, Adrian. I mind-linked, It's Aiden and he wants me. Take the rest of the wolves back to the Kingdom safely. I don't want him to hurt you.

"Like hell, I would let him take you away. You have to be out of your mind to even suggest this." He clearly didn't like my suggestion. I felt him run faster, and everything around me felt like it had been blurred.

But just then, even Adrian collapsed onto the ground, with me being thrown away at the sudden jerk it caused. I was weak, not able to bring myself up, but I was facing Adrian.

Tears escaped my eyes as I watched Adrian struggle to stay conscious, trying to get back on his feet. I was too far from him, and my body hurt where I had hit the ground hard. I wanted to get up and go to Adrian, and Liana - the other wolves, too - who had been attacked by Aiden.

Only if I had paid attention to him earlier - this might not have happened.

Adrian's eyes were open, blinking slowly at me as if in a daze. My eyes were full of tears and my vision was blurred, but I struggled the same to find my energy and get back onto my feet.

Right then, two feet appeared in front of me, naked feet, and I was standing again in another moment, held lovingly by my mate, Aiden.

I felt the slight tingles where he touched me, and my heart thudded at the sight of him.

Oh Goddess, how much I had loved him - it disgusted the rational part of my mind that I was still in love with the same man who never told me about my imprisoned parents.

The same man who said that he needed my blood more than he needed me.

"My sweet love," he cooed at me, and I kept staring at him blankly, "I would never let you go." he said; his eyes running over my tear streaked face.

"I have loved you so much, much much more than I loved Cassandra," he pulled me close to him, his fingers running through my hair, "I did so much for you, made you so happy. Is this how you repay me?" His was still warm and soft, but his words made me shiver.

"I was so mad, Cynthia," He pressed his cheek to my head and I was helpless and limp in his arms, "You didn't even give me a chance to explain why I did what I did. You lied to me every time about so many things, but did I ever get mad at you?"

He paused for a while, even though he knew I was not going to open my mouth and speak to him. He was talking to me as if I was a child, or as if he had committed some minor mistake and I was blowing things out of proportions.

He was out of his mind.

"I didn't, did I?" He said to me, "Then why do you insist on running away from me? We are yet to complete our mating rituals, love, and I would be stupid to let you stay away from me. We'll get your parents to be with us if that's what you need. Now, we have to go before everyone gets up."

He scooped me up in his arms and grinned at me, "You see how much I love you? You destroyed my family - the people I was loyal to and I still want you. I knew you'd be hurt if I killed your mates and your friends so I didn't kill them when I could. You just keep on taking me for granted, baby."

He kept murmuring things to me, yet I ignored him.

For the next few days, I knew I was going to be incapable of doing anything, let alone running away from Aiden.

I was trapped - with a man I loved and did not love at the same time. I couldn't help myself, and I wondered if I would ever be able to free myself from him.

I wondered if a long-lasting love was written in my fate or saving my parents and the Vampire Kingdom was my only purpose in life.